FAMU Rattlers return to practice, use FSU's indoor facility

Tallahassee was spared the worst of Hurricane Irma, but as the city recovers, the athletic departments of its two universities are collaborating.

Florida A&M’s football team held its Tuesday practice at Florida State’s indoor practice facility. FAMU head coach Alex Wood said the reasoning behind the decision was twofold.

Head coach Alex Wood and the Rattlers get ready for practice in FSU's indoor practice facility on ...more

Head coach Alex Wood and the Rattlers get ready for practice in FSU's indoor practice facility on Tuesday. The Rattlers practiced on FSU's campus as a precaution after Hurricane Irma.

Vaughn Wilson/FAMU Athletics

Practice was held late Tuesday – around 6 p.m. – to give players time to get back to Tallahassee. Wood said he also feared weather conditions wouldn’t allow the Rattlers to practice outside, which led to the team using FSU’s facility.

Plus, as of Tuesday afternoon, the parking lot in front of Bragg Memorial Stadium on FAMU’s campus was still packed with emergency response vehicles. Parts of the lot were still roped off too, making the area around FAMU’s practice field tough to access.

"We'll decide Wednesday and Thursday what we do depending on the weather," Wood said during his Tuesday press conference.

“The majority of our guys stayed here. They were able to hunker down in shelters. Most of them stayed at home, to be honest with you.”

It’s a good thing the Rattlers were able to practice on Tuesday. FAMU returns to action Saturday in the FAMU Tampa Classic against FCS No. 23 Tennessee State. The game will be played at Raymond James Stadium, despite fears the game would be canceled in the wake of Irma’s impact on Tampa.

FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley said he was just grateful to get back on the field. Stanley missed the team's last game with a turf toe injury.

FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley and the rest of the football arrive at Florida State's indoor ...more

FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley and the rest of the football arrive at Florida State's indoor practice facility Tuesday. The team is temporarily using FSU's facilities as a precaution after Irma.

Hali Tauxe/Democrat

"Man, it's good to get back to football," Stanley said. "For a while, it looked like we would never play. It was great to hear FSU allowed us to use their facilities, it's top notch. With all the emergency vehicles, we couldn't even get to our field."

Coaching after a hurricane is something Wood has done before. He was the running backs coach at Miami in 1992 when the devastating Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida.

“We went through Hurricane Andrew with our football team and we kind of handled it the same way,” Wood said.

The Tampa area was battered by Irma, which hit the region as a Category 3 storm with winds up to 115 miles per hour.

“I reflect back to when we, eventually after Hurricane Andrew, which was pretty devastating, we pulled our team out because we had a season to play,” Wood said.

“I think activities need to continue to go on. Maybe it’s a relief to really get your attention somewhere else and not what Irma has left behind. And some community gathering, you know? People coming together in a community.

“It’s a good activity. I think it’s a worthwhile activity. Maybe there’s somewhere where we can help in terms of boosting folks’ overall psyche, if you well, with what’s happening and what’s going on. I’m glad the game’s going on and I think it’ll be a really good event.”

With Irma, the Rattlers were faced with the prospect of going three weeks in between games. FAMU was on a bye week last week, and if the Tampa Classic was canceled, the team wouldn’t have played again until Sept. 23 against Savannah State.

“You can’t sit for two weeks and not do anything,” Wood said.

“We appreciated the bye week, we used it to our advantage. Bye weeks always help in a lot of ways, but you also get concerned with having that time off with timing and conditioning and all of those things. We’re anxious to play a game, for sure.”

Game dedicated to first responders

The FAMU Tampa Classic will also be a part of the Hurricane Irma relief effort.

“We are dedicating this game to first responders and Floridians impacted by the storm,” FAMU Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. said.

“All first responders and their immediate family members will be provided with complementary tickets to the game and donations will be collected onsite for the American Red Cross to help Floridians who are still in need of assistance.”